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Sunday, March 6, 2017
Note: Unedited writings from my notebook for this novel.
Square bracket items represent added comments.
At 18:47 Office
... I barely remembered anything about this story...
H
as it really been three months? I guess it has. I put it out of my mind [so much so] that I barely remembered anything about this story. Not even the title. [Unreal!!!!!!] I had the general premise and an ending—enough I thought for a novel. What I lacked was a determination and desire to want to write it. Why bother… I wasn’t enjoying the process and I had no reason to believe the result wouldn’t be anything more than what’s gone before—nothing.
James Piper
Kitchener, Ontario
Post comments on facebook page.Follow me on twitter. Posted 2017/04/14 at 14h02ET in The Deep Blue Cage | Writing A Novel

November 25th, 2016 to March 5, 2017
Note: Unedited writings from my notebook for this novel.
Square bracket items represent added comments.
At 15:53 Office
... And so began a three month odyssey away from writing this novel, The Deep Blue Hold....
W
herein I try to explain why I stopped working on this novel.
The shortest answer is I gave up.
The short explanation is I struggle with mental health issues (MDD, GAD, PTSD) that paralyse me at times. When it happens, I’m not able to do much of anything. Don’t want to do anything and that includes things one might expect to enjoy.
For a while I spent time trying to create some thirty-second videos that would play a word puzzle like a crossword. Here’s the clue. Here’s the blank spaces. And after an interval, one of the letters would appear until all the letters appear. A bit of a crossword puzzle in that sometimes you come to a word where crossover words give you certain letters and you have to fill in the rest. A bit like that TV…

Thursday, November 24th, 2016
Note: Unedited writings from my notebook for this novel.
Square bracket items represent added comments.
At 15:53 Office
... This was a Chinese ship with Chinese officers. He didn't need some damn Dutch sailor to tell him how to run his ship....
Y
esterday was a day of distraction and writer’s block as I didn’t get too far. No new pages and nothing new on the story. Right now I’m stepping back to Tuesday, trying to get my mind around this story. Would it help if to read what I have. [Draft pages of the novel.]
____
Later.
What I have is okay. It’s working. Of course it needs edits but that’s for another day. I think I worked out the broad strokes for Chps. 4, 5 & 6.
Chp. 4 Captain on ship
Chp. 5 Family back home
Chp. 6. Leanne tending to her wounds
Time to brainstorm some ideas for Chp. 4. It’s dawn. People getting up for morning routine. There will be a change of watch. Cross checking containers… The captain will be getting up to start…

You’d think BONE would rhyme with GONE but no. This is the English language after all.
But BONE does rhyme with LOAN so we’ll spell it BOAN. It will take some time to update all the existing writings but it can be done.
Meanwhile, if you smash up your car, the insurance company will allow you to get a LOANER and if you happen to meet the right person you may get a BOANER.
boanPost comments on facebook page
Posted 2017/03/31 at 17h28ET in
Words.

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2016
Note: Unedited writings from my notebook for this novel.
Square bracket items represent added comments.
At 14:51—Office
... one needs the discipline to get things done and hence the first things first motto...
T
ime to work on my novel. Feeling some dread and trepidation. Not what I want to be feeling. Ugh and double ugh. It’s doubt about the story. Doubts that I can do it. Doubts that people will read it. And so on. All the usual things. Doubts that I should be even doing this.
At 16:12
Sidetracked with a crossword and listening to a podcast. I think it’s my attempt at self sabotage. Certainly not a way to get this novel written. It doesn’t help that I can’t see Chp. 4. I don’t see the scene. I need to see the scene and I’m wondering where the hook is to start it. Lots of questions about this chapter… I could just start at some point and go to the end point, see what happens. That’s what I often do. But it doesn’t feel right. Something is missing…

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2016
Note: Unedited writings from my notebook for this novel.
Square bracket items represent added comments.
At 20:44—Office
... Lost at sea, she's rescued by a ship and wished she had never set foot on it....
N
othing new on this story. Nothing came to me while I was sleeping or when on my errands. I thought something would come about, but nope. So be it.
I have two chapters written. Not sure if they are any good but they are there. And so Chp. 3 to write. And I don’t see the scene because I’m not sure what should happen. The question is what is the cliffhanger. Nope. 3 about her, not the ship and crew.
And I’ve already written the last line of the chapter. She wakes up and feels immense pain. Not sure if I should mention blood in the water. This chapter or the following.
So it’s early dawn or not quite sunrise. And she’s in the cockpit unconscious. But how do I write it from her POV if she’s out. Hmmm. I can do it but should I do it? And I don’t w…

Monday, November 21st, 2016
No work on the novel on Day 4.
Note: Unedited writings from my notebook for this novel.
Square bracket items represent added comments.
At 18:31—Office
... if I use Leänne instead of Leanne how will people react...
Y
esterday was Sunday and I took it off, plus I was dealing with some mental health issues. I know this story is something that is simply a matter of putting in the time to make it happen. I’m supposed to be working on it as much as I can but I haven’t been doing that. Two main reasons. It’s been a while since I’ve worked on a story. Then there’s the issues of my mental health. Things happen. I get down and it impacts on my writing. I might be using it as an excuse, but it’s clearly something I need to deal with. I have to find a schedule I can work with. Perhaps I need to put this first and cut out other things. Not sure but I will figure it out.
A name for the hero came to me. For the moment going with Leanne or is it Leanna? Should be Le…

Saturday, November 19th, 2016
Note: Unedited writings from my notebook for this novel.
Square bracket items represent added comments.
... I’m still not clear on how she gets off the boat....
T
ime to work on this story. I gave some thought to the title. I am going with THE DEEP BLUE CAGE. But I might go with THE DEEP BLUE PRISON. Both have pluses and minuses based on the connotations. I also had some thoughts on the cover. I see a shipping container with an image of a Chinese flag. That would be sufficient.
I came up with a plot point. Based on betrayal. Our hero [I use hero for male and female.] is freed from the ship. She’s plotting how to get back at the Chinese officers and the ship. She goes to a private security company [mercenaries] to hire some former Navy Seals for the plan. But here’s the betrayal. The guy she meets with at the company, records the talks. He uses it. Takes it to DOD [Dept. of Defense] or State to earn some brownie points. Their his bread and butter. That…

Friday, November 18th, 2016
Note: Unedited writings from my notebook for this novel.
Square bracket items represent added comments.
... There’s also poetic justice for this crew for what they did to the women they kept....
I
t’s still Friday to me. [Writing early Saturday morning.] I wasn’t in bed until 6h and up at 14h. Then lots of errands. Lots of walking. Felt tired earlier—something different. I haven’t spent much time thinking about this story. I seemed to have put my mind into another lane. Not what I want. I was thinking too much about my future as a successful writer. Not simply being a writer, but a successful writer. One that makes a good living off or from it. That’s a better goal.
So what to say about this story. No title. Oh. I did decide on something. She can’t die. Too much of a downer. That would seem to rule out a revenge aspect by the husband. Maybe she does it. These guys [the baddies] have to get it in the end.
I was thinking about how she wants to sink the s…

Thursday, November 17th, 2016
Note: Unedited writings from my notebook for this novel.
Square bracket items represent added comments.
... this is where it begins...
T
he start of my work on a new novel. And using a bound notebook instead of loose leaf or a spiral notebook. I hope this is the right choice. It feels right. [I have various preferences on what to write with, fountain pen, and what to write on. It has varied over the years.]
The objective isn’t just to write this novel but write it quickly as I can. Work on it as much as I can. Not just a couple of hours a day, but as much as I can. I hope to get a first draft done in a couple of months. [It didn’t happen.] Realistically I would be drafting and writing and having something done by January 31st. That seems doable. [It did.] That’s based on Ian Fleming who took two months to get a first draft down. If he can do it, I know I can do it. And page count. No more than 300pp. Between 250 and 300. Don’t make it too long.
[Note:…